Bosnia Mourns ‘Unique, Good-Hearted’ Folk Singer Halid Beslic

Halid Beslic, the Bosnian-born folk singer whose music was followed by generations of people from across the former Yugoslavia across four decades, died on Tuesday aged 72 after being hospitalised in Sarajevo since August. During a career which began in 1979, Beslic released 19 studio albums, with dozens of songs that became and have remained hits among people of all ages – songs that became evergreen standards at communal celebrations, on radio playlists and in taverns. Beslic was known for his close relationship with the audience, and often performed at lavish weddings and other big celebrations. Even if he was not present, his music was usually performed by other singers. Bosnian actor Enis Beslagic was among many who shared emotional farewells on social media following the news of Beslic’s passing, saying that his music was “deeply engraved in our hearts”. “Who will now fill that void with the uniqueness, sincerity and good-hearted humanity that you lived with every breath? You Bosnian king, who we all claim as our own and call ours,” Beslagic wrote in an Instagram post. Beslic was born in Sokolac, around 50 kilometres from the Bosnian capital Sarajevo. He was one of the few music stars in the region who lived a rather modest life, untainted by scandals, and had the image of being a ‘man of the people’. During the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Beslic held more than 500 humanitarian concerts around Europe. He used the proceedings to help Bosnian refugees fleeing the conflict. In his media appearances, Beslic often emphasised that he wanted to be remembered “as a good man”. “I could drive flashy cars and shoot million-dollar music videos too, but why would I do that when my neighbour doesn’t have bread to eat? It gives me satisfaction to feed him, to go to a public kitchen, to contribute, to feed a hundred hungry mouths today, or to donate money to a children’s home,” he said several years ago. “I’d like to be remembered, when I’m gone, as a good man – not as a good singer,” he declared.